Blood's Fury (Deadly Beauties 1)

"Shit," he murmurs while backing away. "I didn't want to look because I knew it'd be hard as hell to stop myself, but I'm not some asshole like Heath who's ready to pounce on a girl while she's drunk."

"You didn't have a problem stopping yourself when I was completely sober."

My snarky comment forces a wince from him. He runs his hands through his hair, demonstrating how terribly frustrated he is.

"Please don't keep punishing me for that," he groans. "I've already explained it and told you I was sorry several times."

Sorry doesn't piece back together my dignity or my confidence. How's a girl supposed to feel?

"I'm not punishing you, I'm just stating the obvious."

I try to ignore the throbbing desire to straddle him right now, but it’s almost overwhelming. One thing that helps me is the fact I really don't feel like being turned down a second time.

He sighs as he climbs into bed beside me, and then his arm drapes around my waist as he pulls me to him.

Now that he's touching me, it makes it all the harder to deny the throbbing ache inside me, pulsating at the spot no one has ever gone. When his arousal brushes against my back, I shiver.

"Kane, you're not exactly making this easy on me," I mumble, and his sharp intake of breath follows my words.

"Sorry. This isn't easy for me either."

He uncoils from my body, and then he rolls over to the other side of the bed to leave me all the more distraught and yearning for his touch.

I close my eyes tightly, praying for sobriety and sleep both. Maybe I can make it through the night without dreaming about him.

Chapter Five

The sun blinds me as it peers through the enormous window in front of my face. Shielding my eyes, I climb free from the bed to hear laughter and animated conversation on the other side of the door.

"Hey, I found the best new video," one of the guys laughs out. "You have to see it."

"Not right now. I'm trying to get Alyssa some breakfast ready before I take her home," Kane murmurs in objection, and I tense up.

I definitely don't want to see him right now… not after the idiot I looked like last night.

I start picking up my clothes and stepping into them as quickly as I can. My bra is nowhere to be found. Apparently I shed it during the night while I was sleeping, and right now I don't have time to find it.

I open the window to the balcony, and I grimace when I see how far down it is.

I hate using magic.

I force the ladder on the ground to rise to the window, and I tuck my high-heels under my arm as I climb down quickly. With a flick of my wrist, the ladder slides down and back into its place before I run like hell through the woods Kane forbid me to travel without him.

After the first briar tears at my foot, I pull on my heels, deciding to brave the woods in shoes never meant for hiking or running. I forgot I broke one of the heels off, so now I have to run like a gimp idiot through the patch of forest. This walk of shame is by far the worst one ever experienced, and I'm still a damn virgin.

I stumble onto the sidewalk, and then I remove my heels again as all the judgmental eyes of the quiet street fall on me.

Small town slut.

It'd be great if I actually got to have sex while being a slut.

I look over my shoulder, worried someone I actually know is going to see me, and then I feel myself colliding and arms wrapping around me to steady me as mail drops to the ground.

"Hey, whoa," a familiar voice chuckles out.

I turn to see Thad - fresh, clean, and looking just as sexy in the sun as he did under the moonlight.

"Hey," I bumble out.